Artist Spotlight Directory History + Process

The Artist Spotlight Directory project began in 2022 when imagineNATIVE, under the leadership of Executive Director Naomi Johnson, began to discuss the idea of creating an archive of imagineNATIVE’s history. These discussions were influenced by imagineNATIVE’s mission statement, which “showcases, promotes, and celebrates Canadian and international Indigenous filmmakers and media artists” and given imagineNATIVE’s artist-focused mandate, it was decided that the most fitting archive of imagineNATIVE would shine a spotlight on the artists and people who have built the organization into what it is today. This led to the idea to create an accessible, engaging, and meaningful way to showcase and support Indigenous film and media artists and industry professionals who have been a part of imagineNATIVE’s journey. The Artist Spotlight Directory celebrates our Festival with the makers and creators that have collaborated with imagineNATIVE for over 25 years, and its launch coincided with the 25th anniversary imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

The Artist Spotlight Directory was made possible with the support of the Canada Council’s Digital Greenhouse grant. Phase 1 of this grant project took place from January to July 2023, and allowed for more details to be added to our vision, as well as research and development of website prototypes. Naomi Johnson’s initial idea and vision was supported by fellow imagineNATIVE directors Lindsay Monture and David Morrison, and the project was managed and led by Communications Manager Kathleen Walsh. This phase’s goal was to create a prototype of the platform and seek feedback from artists, community members, and screen industry professionals. imagineNATIVE’s website development company, raisin digital (formerly AKA New Media), created a prototype platform.

The building process involved extensive research by Connor Martin and Hunachew Engeda, staff feedback, external consultation from Michelle Hurtubise as well as Vtape and the Transgender Media Lab, and several rounds of edits/revisions to the design and content. Katerina Brodaric then created a survey with a combination of questions to gain both quantitative and qualitative feedback which included questions regarding the ease of navigating the Artist Spotlight Directory, the efficacy of the Directory’s reflection of imagineNATIVE values, and more. This survey was sent to a list of over 25 external contacts which included arts and culture workers and members of Indigenous communities, as well as to several Board members and the entire imagineNATIVE staff. Responses were gathered from a range of participants, including artists, programmers, community organizations, imagineNATIVE founders, as well as both current and former staff.

This assessment guided our mission to continue with Phase 2, made possible by the Canada Council’s Cultivate grant. Phase 2 of the project began in April 2023 with a goal to select 25 Indigenous filmmakers and media artists who have featured prominently throughout imagineNATIVE’s history and create profiles for the Directory. The artist selection process took several months and involved many rounds of discussions, which included topics such as featuring a diversity of Nations, artistic mediums, and representation of 2SLGBTQ+ artists. The selection process took place between imagineNATIVE’s Board members and Naomi Johnson, Lindsay Monture, and David Morrison. Once 25 artists were selected, research into those artists’ careers with imagineNATIVE was guided by Archivist Gigi Wall. This involved meticulously combing through previous Festival catalogues, researching individual artists biographies, and searching through the back end of imagineNATIVE’s current and past website and servers. In order to lend greater accuracy and agency to the archival representation of each artist, each artist was sent an intake form, allowing artists to actively self-disclose information, participate in the research, and add their voice to their profiles.

From October 2024 to May 2025, the imagineNATIVE Communications team which consisted of Communications Manager Kathleen Walsh, Publications + Archives Coordinator Gigi Wall, and Website Coordinators Hunachew Engeda and Perry Phalla, began the process of reviewing, copy editing, and finalizing profiles for publication. This involved constant communication with artists to ensure they felt heard throughout the process, and to make sure their profiles reflected an accurate representation of their work. During this time, imagineNATIVE also mounted the Retrospective Tour, which traveled to the home communities of select artists in the Directory including Darlene Naponse, Jules Koostachin, Shelley Niro, and Zoe Leigh Hopkins, providing a screening of their works and a sneak peek presentation of the Directory project to Indigenous community members in attendance.

The Artist Spotlight Directory was launched publicly on the imagineNATIVE website on May 20, 2025, just ahead of the 25th anniversary imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in June 2025. In tandem with the launch of The Artist Spotlight Directory, imagineNATIVE provided a special online streaming experience through a virtual watch platform which included 25 films which had previously been presented by imagineNATIVE, one from each artist in the Artist Spotlight Directory. The digital streaming of these works was designed to be a free ticketed experience lasting for one month, beginning June 21, 2025 in honour of Indigenous Peoples Day.

The next phase of this project, which extends beyond June 2025, hopes to expand on international Indigenous artists, while still featuring influential and emerging Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island.